Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Hasty pudding is an old-fashioned recipe that’s been around for a few hundred years. Although it’s called a pudding, it’s really more like a porridge made of grains that have been cooked in milk or even water.
In the colonial United States, it was also called Indian Pudding. This type of dessert was mentioned in the song, Yankee Doodle.
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Hasty Pudding History
The British had a dish called hasty pudding as early as the 16th century. It was made of wheat flour cooked in boiling milk or water until it had a porridge-like consistency.
But here, we are talking about the American dessert, which is also called Indian Pudding. Indian Pudding originated in the colonial era and is found in many American cookbooks from the year 1900.
In the 17th century, colonists brought their hasty pudding recipe with them to North America. However, since they didn’t have wheat available, like they had in England, they used cornmeal.
They learned to cultivate cornmeal from the indigenous peoples, which is why it's often called Indian Pudding. Instead of water, they used milk and substituted local sweeteners, such as maple syrup or molasses.
They also added whatever spices were available, such as cinnamon or ground ginger. Butter and eggs helped the pudding have a smoother consistency, and raisins and nuts added flavor. It was baked in a slow oven for several hours to give it a more custard-like texture.
Over time, it was replaced by commercial puddings with a smoother consistency and quicker cooking time.
In the late 1700s, The Hasty Pudding Club was founded at Harvard. It was started by a couple of undergraduate students as a means of celebrating patriotism and friendship. The club was named after the dessert they shared at their first meeting: Hasty Pudding.
Popular Variations
There are many variations of hasty pudding, as it has evolved and changed over time, depending on the ingredients available and what people enjoyed eating.
- Hasty Pudding – This pudding originated in Britain and was made with flour, milk, or water.
- Indian pudding – Indian pudding evolved from the original recipe but used cornmeal instead of flour. It also used local spices and sweeteners like molasses or maple syrup.
- Johnnycake or hoecake – Johnny cakes are made with similar ingredients but are fried in bacon grease instead of baked.
- Gingerbread pudding – This version of hasty pudding is made with pumpkin, wheat flour, and cornmeal.
- Curau (Brazilian pudding) – This recipe resembles hasty pudding but uses raw grains, milk, and coconut milk.
- Polenta (Italian pudding) – Polenta is a savory version of hasty pudding made with corn.
- Grits – Indian or American hasty pudding is similar in taste and texture to grits, which can be served sweet or savory.
How to Make Hasty Pudding
Hasty pudding certainly isn’t as quick and easy to make as today’s instant pudding mixes. But back in the colonial era, many puddings took long hours and hard work to make. Desserts such as this one were called hasty puddings because they were quicker and easier in comparison to those rich custard-style puddings.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs
- 4 cups whole milk (for a creamier texture, you can substitute 2 cups of milk for half and half)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup molasses (up to half a cup for more flavor)
- ½ heaping tsp powdered ginger
- ¼ heaping tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup cornmeal (fine for a smoother texture)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional mix-ins (dried fruit nuts)
- Optional toppings (whipped cream, ice cream, or maple syrup)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish. Optionally, you can place the casserole dish into a water bath for baking (I did not).
- Crack all four eggs into a bowl and whisk well. Set this aside for later.
- Pour the milk, half and half, sugar, molasses, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to the scalding point (just below simmering), stirring constantly. You may need to turn the heat down to keep it from boiling.
- Slowly whisk the cornmeal into the saucepan.
- Once it is stirred in completely, cook for 2 minutes and continue stirring the whole time.
- Next, you’ll need to pour about half a cup of the hot mixture into the eggs, whisking to incorporate it.
- Then, pour it all back into the saucepan. Turn the heat down and cook for 3 minutes, whisking the entire time.
- The mixture will thicken up and bubble. As you wait, make sure you often scrape down the sides and bottom, so it doesn’t burn.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Add any optional mix-ins, such as dried cranberries, raisins, or nuts. I used a combination of dried blueberries and cranberries.
- Transfer your mixture to the prepared casserole dish.
- If you’re going to use a water bath, set your casserole dish into a large dish with at least one inch of very hot water. It should go about halfway up the sides of your casserole dish. I skipped this step, and it turned out fine! However, it will help if your oven bakes unevenly.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Scoop into serving bowls and serve warm. Top with ice cream, whipped cream, or maple syrup.
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Hasty Pudding
Ingredients
- 4 Eggs
- 4 Cups Whole milk
- 1/2 Cup Granulated sugar
- 1/3 Cup Molasses
- 1/2 Tsp Powdered ginger
- 1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Cornmeal
- 1 Tsp Vanilla extract
Optional mix-ins (dried fruit nuts)
Optional toppings (whipped cream, ice cream, or maple syrup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish. Optionally, you can place the casserole dish into a water bath for baking (I did not).
- Crack all four eggs into a bowl and whisk well. Set this aside for later.
- Pour the milk, half and half, sugar, molasses, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to the scalding point (just below simmering), stirring constantly. You may need to turn the heat down to keep it from boiling.
- Slowly whisk the cornmeal into the saucepan.
- Once it is stirred in completely, cook for 2 minutes and continue stirring the whole time.
- Next, you’ll need to pour about half a cup of the hot mixture into the eggs, whisking to incorporate it.
- Then, pour it all back into the saucepan. Turn the heat down and cook for 3 minutes, whisking the entire time.
- The mixture will thicken up and bubble. As you wait, make sure you often scrape down the sides and bottom, so it doesn’t burn.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Add any optional mix-ins, such as dried cranberries, raisins, or nuts. I used a combination of dried blueberries and cranberries.
- Transfer your mixture to the prepared casserole dish.
- If you’re going to use a water bath, set your casserole dish into a large dish with at least one inch of very hot water. It should go about halfway up the sides of your casserole dish. I skipped this step, and it turned out fine! However, it will help if your oven bakes unevenly.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Scoop into serving bowls and serve warm. Top with ice cream, whipped cream, or maple syrup.
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